


Semiprecious

by justanoutlaw



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Based on Book, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23637952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw
Summary: Regina’s life is uprooted when her mom wakes her up early one morning to move her from Brooklyn, NY to Storybrooke, ME. She’s in a strange place, living with relatives she never met, abandoned by the mother she only ever wanted to please. Luckily she has a cute baseball player to distract her.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood
Comments: 28
Kudos: 29
Collections: OQ Book Week





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a verse for OQ Book Week, based on a book by D Anne Love. Thank you to QueenofTheMerryMen for help with help with Cora’s sister.

The plastic bag swung from Regina’s wrist as she walked back from the bodega. In the distance she could hear an ambulance’s siren and she could smell the sewer from nearby. It was another early morning in Brooklyn. The garnet gem steadied around her chest as she picked up some pep in her step. She wanted to get back to the apartment before Zelena woke up. She knew her mom would still be sleeping, she always was this late.

It was summer and the heat caused Regina’s Yankees tee to stick to her body. She had her long, thick curls back in a ponytail and wore sandals that she had stolen from Zelena. Her own stopped fitting a week ago and her converse were uncomfortable this early in the morning. She knew better than to ask Cora for money for new shoes, especially so close to this day. She also knew she better return the shoes before Zelena noticed them missing.

Regina walked up the staircase, then down the long hall to their first floor apartment. She was quiet shutting the door behind her and setting the bag down in the kitchen. Sure enough, the room was empty and the doors to Cora along with Regina and Zelena’s bedrooms were shut. Regina let out a deep breath and grabbed the eggs from the fridge, starting on breakfast.

It didn’t take long for her to hear one of the doors open, followed by it slamming shut. “Shhh,” she shushed her barely older sister. “Don’t wake Mom.”  
“Mom had several cocktails for dinner last night. I think we’re fine. Are those my sandals?”  
Regina rolled her eyes, not turning to face her. “You don’t need them right now. I had to go to the bodega to get some odds and ends.”  
“Stop stealing my stuff.”  
“Well mine don’t fit anymore and I’m not going to wear sneakers in this heat.” She flipped the French toast in the pan before turning to face her sister. Zelena’s curls were a tangled mess as usual and she wore a silky white nightgown that was far too mature for an 17 year old.  
“You’re 16 and your feet still grow?”  
“I don’t think they fit very well in the first place.” She put her hands on her hips. “You have the present, right?”  
“Yes, wrapped up nice and pretty.”

Zelena lent Regina a hand with breakfast and for a moment, the latter was reminded of what life was like before their father died. Henry wasn’t Zelena’s biological father, but he had raised her as if she had been. After he died four years ago, things had never been the same. Whether it was between the two sisters or their mother.

By the time the French toast was done, Regina could hear the floorboards in her mother’s room creaking. The door opened, followed by the floorboards in the hall and soon the shower was on. Regina pulled the daisies from the bag on the counter and put them into a vase next to her mother’s plate. Zelena was already eating, ignoring Regina’s request that they wait. Regina had butterflies in her stomach, too nervous to eat. 

The bathroom door was pushed open, a cloud of steam and Dior spilling out. Cora emerged into the kitchen moments later. Her damp curls were pulled back into a bun and she wore slacks paired with a nice red blouse. Regina rubbed her damp palms on her shorts.

“Happy birthday, Mother,” she said.  
Cora smiled in a way only she could. The kind that didn’t quite reach the eyes and somehow gave Regina a twinge of anxiety at the same time. “Thank you, darling.”  
“We made you breakfast,” she gestured to the island. “French toast and poached eggs. Zelena even cut up some fruit.”  
“It looks delicious,” Cora said.  
Zelena looked up from her near empty plate. “Good morning, Mother. Happy birthday.”  
“Thank you, dear.” She looked her up and down. “You couldn’t dress for breakfast?”

Zelena rolled her eyes and Regina internally groaned. This was not the way that the day was supposed to go. She didn’t want fighting. She wanted things to go perfectly. She wanted Cora to be happy.

Cora ate a quarter of what Regina cooked and handful of strawberries. Regina ate even less. After the dishes had been washed by the younger girls, the three Mills women went for a walk around the neighborhood and headed to the park. Regina did most of the talking, discussing the upcoming school year and asking Zelena about college plans. She made sure to stress about financial aid and student loans so not to worry her mother. Cora didn’t say much at all, she just smiled at her daughters, nodding her head. Regina thought about the fax she had seen and the ways she could prevent it from coming to fruition.

After their walk, Cora napped and Zelena went to call Chad. Regina got to work on the cake. It was her father’s special recipe. Her parents’ marriage hadn’t been a very happy one but her mother had loved Henry for his cooking. His cakes had been out of this world. Every year on their birthdays, he’d make them one with good dark chocolate. When he got sick, he had only told Regina where his box of recipes were. She kept the tradition alive for the birthdays.

Eventually, Zelena got off the phone and ordered dinner from Cora’s favorite Japanese restaurant. Cora awoke from her nap in a seemingly better mood. She popped the cork on a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass, eating more of her dinner than she had her breakfast. Regina tried not to take offense as she devoured her own tempura.

“Are you having a good birthday, Mother?” Regina asked as she put the candles into the thick chocolate frosting.   
The not-smile returned to Cora’s face. “I’ve got my girls here with me. What more could I want?”

Forty one candles circled the cake to represent Cora’s age with one to grow on. Regina lit them and watched as her mother shut her eyes, before blowing them out. They had slices of cake with coffee (well, the girls did, Cora had another glass of wine). If anyone looked in, they’d look like a normal family, not one with a ticking time bomb on them.

“So Mother,” Zelena said. “Regina and I pooled our savings together, and we got you a gift.”  
Cora took the last sip of her wine. “Well, let’s see it.”

Zelena left the room and Regina stayed there, taking her mom in. Poised. Put together. Even with the lipstick mark on the glass, she somehow seemed untouched. Regina knew that was how Cora liked her life, even in their tiny Brooklyn apartment. She knew that she wanted more. And she wanted to give that to her, if it was possible.

Cora had been born to two poor farmhands in Maine. She had always planned for bigger and better things. When she was fresh out of college, she was engaged to Leopold Blanchard, a rich older man. Then she made one mistake and ended up pregnant with Zelena. Leopold wasn’t the father. He dumped her and left her for her younger sister. The small town turned on Cora and she fled, heading for New York. It wasn’t long before she found kindhearted Henry. He always said he fell in love with her at first sight. He agreed to marry her so the baby would be protected. Regina came a year and two weeks after Regina was born. Henry’s family had been wealthy but his family ended up losing it all due to some bad investments. Henry hasn’t minded, Cora did. Henry spent the rest of his life trying to make her happy again and when he died he passed on more than just his recipes to Regina.

“Here we go!” Zelena’s high pitched voice interrupted Regina’s thoughts. “Happy birthday, Mother.”

She dropped the present into Cora’s lap before sitting on the arm of Regina’s chair. Cora carefully unwrapped the present, making a pile of the paper to save it for later. She took the top off the box to reveal the contents inside: a gold locket. Regina had seen it at the mall and instantly thought of her mother. Zelena had called it cheap and thought they could do better but they didn’t have much money between them.

Cora blinked at the necklace. Regina reached over and flipped it open. “See, it’s got you, me and Zelena on one side, and then all of us with Daddy on the other…” But Cora still didn’t smile. She just stared at the locket.  
“You can return it,” Zelena said, bluntly.  
“Zelena!”  
“Well, she clearly doesn’t like it.”

Cora places the locket on the table before pushing herself up and walking to her bedroom. The door slammed shut behind her. Regina sat there for a moment before she started to clean up the mess.

“I told you it was a cheap necklace,” Zelena said.  
“Shut up, Zelena.”  
“We should’ve just gotten her a gift certificate to get her nails done or something.”  
“I said shut up!” Regina slammed the cake tin onto the island, causing frosting to go over the counter. “God, Zelena, for once can you just not say what you think?”

Zelena rolled her eyes and walked back to their bedroom. Regina cleaned the kitchen and living room until the only remnant of the birthday party left was the locket on the table. She stared at the family portrait she had painstakingly cut out for the heart. Regina remembered back to when life was that easy. To when her dad could’ve saved this birthday.

She gathered the locket and walked to her mother’s door, slipping it under the crack. All she could hope was for a better tomorrow.

* * *

“Regina! Regina, it’s time to get up.”

Regina rolled over in bed, her eyes narrowing up to see her mother standing there. Cora was wearing one of her work pantsuits, her hair curled.

“Mom?” Regina mumbled. “Mom what are you doing here?” She strained her eyes to look at the alarm clock. “It’s only 4:30 AM.”  
“Yes, and we need to hit the road.”  
“Hit the what?”  
“We’re going on a little trip. Let’s go. Get in the shower.”  
Regina sat up, her thick curls sticking to the back of her neck. “Where are we going?”  
“Storybrooke.”  
“Storybrooke?”  
Zelena piped up from the other side of the room. It was dark but the hall light allowed Regina to see her copper curls. “Mom’s gone mad.”

Regina blinked a few times before remembering Storybrooke was where her mom had grown up. She and Zelena had never been, they had never met their aunt or even spoken to her. Now her mom wanted to go there?

“Why?”  
Cora scoffed. “Because I said so, that’s why. Now go shower, we leave in a half hour.”

Half asleep, Regina did as her mother asked. She showered and changed into some shorts along with a plain white t shirt. As she stood in the mirror, she thought of having to sit in the car to Maine. She had once asked her father about visiting her aunt there and gotten a maybe. When she looked how long it took to travel, she read upwards of 7 hours.

Regina’s long curls ended up in the wastebasket of her bathroom. She evened her hair out to shoulder length as best she could, but she was sure it wasn’t. Shrugging, she went back into the bathroom, forcing her feet into the converse, Zelena had already claimed the sandals. Cora looked at her and scoffed.

“You cut your hair?”  
Regina shrugged. “I’m going to be trapped in a hot car.” She noticed a suitcase on her bed. “How long are we going to be gone?”  
“Just pack your essentials.”

Cora left and Regina began throwing in shorts, shirts and some other loose ends. Zelena was doing the same with her own suitcase. The butterflies in Regina’s stomach were tap dancing.

“She’s going to be with him,” Regina said.  
“She’ll come back.”

And she wanted to believe that.

* * *

Cora claimed she was going to Connecticut for work and that she couldn’t keep an eye on the girls from there.

“I’ll come for you as soon as I’m settled.”

Once again, Regina believed her.

She sat in the backseat of the Volvo, listening to Zelena whine how unfair it was to be away from Chad. Regina didn’t mention Daniel. They had been on a few dates and kissed a couple of times, but she knew that it wasn’t going anywhere. She worried more about her friends. She was disappearing without word. Would they even notice or care? Would Mal bother to try and find her?

Regina drifted between sleep and consciousness on the drive, listening to the opera CDs that Cora had in the car. She lost all concept of time and was surprised when she heard Zelena sneer “Storybrooke, really?”

She watched as her mother drove down the main road, passing several shops including a diner and a school. Regina expected her to stop at one of the grand Victorian houses or even one of the smaller suburban ones. Instead, her mother kept driving past the beach and headed towards the farm lands.

“I thought your sister married rich,” Regina said, speaking up for the first time in hours.  
Cora smirked. “She did, didn’t last.”

Regina squirmed at her mother’s gloating, despite not even knowing this aunt. Eventually, the car pulled up in front of a small house. Regina stepped out, stretching her legs for the first time in nearly eight hours. The white paint was chipping off. Fresh wood was piled up on the porch. The steps didn’t look safe, leaving one to wonder when they had their last tetanus shot. Zelena got out of the car next and Regina watched as she wrinkled her nose.  
“How the hell can Eva live here?”  
“I grew up here,” Cora’s voice cut in.

Regina and Zelena looked back at her, almost in shock. The girls knew their mom had been broke but didn’t know Eva still lived in the house. They grabbed the bags from the trunk and headed towards the steps. The ripped screen door opened and a tall woman emerged, with a long tumble of dark curls. She wore a white linen dress, a cream apron over that and thick boots. A smile spread across her face.

“Regina, Zelena,” she said.  
“You know us?” Regina asked.  
“Your mom sends pictures, of course I do. I’m your aunt Eva. Welcome to Storybrooke.”

Eva’s smile faded when she noticed the suitcases in their hands. She looked behind them to Cora.

“So, sis,” she said, “Exactly how long is this visit?”  
“Just until I get settled in Connecticut. Shouldn’t take more than a few weeks.”  
“Mhm.” Eva didn’t look convinced. “Well, you girls must be hungry after such a long journey, come on in.”

They entered the house, the screen door slamming behind them. A young girl that looked around Regina’s age and the clone of Eva entered the room. She bounced on her heels, smiling.

“Hey, I’m Mary Margaret,” she said. “You must be Regina and Zelena.”

Regina looked at her equally bewildered sister. A cousin? This was new.

Eva put an arm around her daughter. “Mary Margaret was just helping me with lunch. We made fried chicken.”  
“I really should get going,” Cora said.  
“But we just got here,” Regina frowned. “It’ll take you awhile to get to Connecticut.”  
“I’m leaving my car with an old friend, and I want to catch up with them before my flight.”

She kissed each of them on the top of their heads and Regina lingered in it, wanting to savor every minute. The younger girl stared at her mother, trying to convey every bit with her eyes, stay.

Cora just touched her cheek. “Be good, keep Zelena out of trouble.”

Zelena scoffed at the comment and Regina felt her eyes prick with tears. Cora gave goodbyes to her sister and promised to call soon. She completely ignored her niece, just as she had mentioning her to her daughters.

Soon, Zelena and Regina were left with two strangers.

Zelena spoke first. “I want to lay down.”  
“Aren’t you hungry?” Mary Margaret asked.  
“No,” Zelena snapped, causing the younger girl to wince. “I just want to lay down.”  
Eva gave a soft smile. “How about I show Zelena to where she and Regina will be sleeping? Snow, you can show Regina to the kitchen.”

Mary Margaret nodded and lead Regina past the old grandma furniture and into a bright yellow kitchen. Fried chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes sat out on the table, along with a pitcher of lemonade.

“I like your necklace,” Mary Margaret said to Regina.  
Regina covered it out of instinct. “Um, thanks. It’s my birthstone. Garnet. Zelena has one too, opal.”  
“That’s cool. So, you’re January? I’m December, which makes my birthstone zircon. I was born in the middle of a huge snow storm which is why Mom calls me Snow…” Mary Margaret trailed off, blushing. “I’m ranting.”  
Regina held up her thumb and forefinger. “Just a bit.”  
Mary Margaret laughed. “So, you’re from New York?” The two sat at the table and Mary Margaret began putting out food.  
Regina nodded. “Yeah, Brooklyn.”  
“I’ve always wanted to go to New York City, see a show or something. Mom said when I graduated, maybe then I could meet you guys.”

So she knew about us.

Regina wanted to ask about Leopold. She wanted to ask about Storybrooke. She wanted to ask questions Mary Margaret had no answers to like why her mom hadn’t brought her to Connecticut too.

Before she could ask her anything else, Regina jumped a bit in her seat at the sudden creak of the door off the back of the kitchen. A boy around their age entered, in a tight white t shirt and torn Levi’s. His blonde hair was pushed back, letting his blue eyes shine. Mary Margaret smiles up at him.

“Robin, hey, how’d it go?”  
“The back porch railing is all fixed.” It was then that Regina saw the toolbox in his hand. “Where’s Miss Eva? I want to talk about fixing the barn back there?”  
“She’s showing one of my cousins around.” Mary Margaret gestured to Regina. “This is the other, Regina.”  
Robin looked over at Regina, smiling easy at her. “Regina, eh?” He leaned over, showing his sun kissed arm. “I’m Robin.”  
Regina shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.” She tilted her head. “Are you two dating or something?”  
Mary Margaret and Robin laughed. “No,” Mary Margaret said. “He’s like a brother.”  
“I live in town with my grandmother,” Robin explained. “We tend to trade work around here.”  
“Oh.” Regina wasn’t sure why that made her feel better.  
“Why don’t you join us for lunch?” Mary Margaret offered. “You know my mom, she made too much food.”

Robin nodded and slid into the seat next to Regina, filling up his plate. The butterflies returned to do their tap dancing. 

This would be an interesting afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina felt a bit awkward as Robin tore into the chicken. He and Mary Margaret were talking about the yard work he had just completed, as the sweat glistened on his forehead. She shifted in her seat, carefully nibbling on the thigh she had been given. She wanted more than anything to grab a hook and tell the butterflies that showtime was over. She couldn’t make a fool of herself in front of this boy.

“So, Regina,” Robin interrupted her thoughts. “Do you like baseball?”  
Regina blinked. “Baseball?”  
“You know, mitt, glove, guys getting dirt on white pants.”  
She rolled her eyes, finding her attitude finally. “I know what baseball is.”  
“Just checking.”  
Regina took a long sip of her lemonade to make him wait and to drown the butterflies. “I do, actually,” she finally replied. “I live in New York, it’s kind of the law.”  
Robin chuckled. “Well I’m no pro, but I’m on the local high school team.”  
Regina arched an eyebrow. “You are?”  
“He’s a pitcher,” Mary Margaret interrupted. “Best one the team’s got.”  
Robin brushed her off. “I don’t know about that.”  
“It’s true.”  
“Considering you have eyes on the first baseman, I’m surprised you even noticed.”

Mary Margaret’s pale face turned bright red and even Regina had to giggle, even though she had never seen this first baseman or Mary Margaret stars at him. Robin winked at her before nudging Mary Margaret with his arm.

“Regina, are you going to be joining us at school in a few weeks?” Robin asked.

Regina froze. She wanted to say no. That her mom would be coming to get her and that they’d be joining her in Connecticut. They’d settle down somewhere where the leaves changed colors and the sewers didn’t smell awful. She wanted to say that she’d get to see her mom smile again and they’d live in a house, not a cramped apartment below the family that cooked their smelly soups.

She also knew she could say yes, she’d be joining them because her mom hadn’t given them a date. There was a chance she was never coming back. There was the fax that Regina had read. There was the doubt in everyone’s eyes. There was a good chance that Regina would be stuck in Storybrooke for a good while, if not forever.

So, instead, she replied, “I don’t know.”  
“Either way, we can show you around,” Mary Margaret said cheerily, as if she hadn’t just paused at the question.

But Robin stared at her. Regina turned back towards her mostly full plate and took a forkful of green beans.

“What do you and Eva use to season these?” she asked Mary Margaret, refusing to meet Robin’s eye. “They’re delicious.”

* * *

Eva joined them to eat and they discussed the weather, yard work and anything but Zelena and Cora. Regina tried to see what her mother hated in her aunt, but came up short. Eva was funny, polite. She listened to Mary Margaret’s stories and gave Robin tips on where he might find work around town. Through the conversation Regina learned that the farm was no longer profitable but now Eva worked two jobs: one as a waitress at Robin’s grandma’s diner and the other at the feed store. Regina had always been told by Cora that Leopold Blanchard was a rich man. How had Eva ended up in her childhood home, working two jobs? Where was Leopold? A part of her was afraid to ask.

Once they were done and Regina got up to help her estranged aunt with the dishes, Robin brought up baseball again.

“A few guys wanted to do a pick up game at the field in a bit, Mare, if you and Regina wanted to come watch. Your other cousin too.”  
“That sounds like a good idea,” Eva said, before either girl could speak up. “It’d give Regina and Zelena a chance to meet some other people.”

Regina shrugged. She didn’t know her cousin or Robin too well, but she also didn’t want to sit around bored either. All she had packed for entertainment was a few books. She had spotted a TV in the living room but that didn’t seem fun right now.

“I’m down if Mary Margaret is,” she said.  
Mary Margaret beamed. “Sure.”  
“Let me to ask Zelena. Which room is she in?”  
“Second door on the right,” Eva told her.

Regina headed down a hall covered in pink rosebud wall paper. Picture frames hung with some people she didn’t recognize but she assumed were her grandparents. Cora had never spoke much of them, and all Regina knew was that they died years ago. There were quite a few of Mary Margaret and Eva, even some of Cora. What surprised Regina the most was to see some of her and Zelena on the wall. School pictures from over the years hung side by side, showing them grow. Bad haircuts to Zelena’s braces and Regina’s pink streak phase all were broadcasted. Regina didn’t even know she had a cousin, but Cora had sent pictures? Maybe it made sense in some way, to brag about how well her life was doing. The last picture was the year that Henry died, taken just a month prior. Regina wondered how different her smile would compare before and after.

She pushed open the door to find a room with similar wallpaper. Two wire bed frames were set up with cream colored bed spreads. Dated wooden desks were crammed into either corner and a lone wardrobe was next to one of the beds. Zelena was sprawled on the bed by the window, eyes shut, arm over forehead.

“Hey Marilyn,” Regina teased.  
“Go away,” Zelena mumbled, barely coherent.  
Regina learned in the doorframe. “A friend of Mary Margaret’s invited us to a baseball game. Wanna come?”  
Zelena’s piercing blue eyes snapped open and she looked over at Regina. “No, the last thing I want to do is hang out with losers in this town.”  
“We don’t know how long we’re gonna be here, Z, we might as well…”  
“Just leave me alone. It’s bad enough we still have to share a room.”

Regina stood there for a moment as her older sister shut her eyes again. She saw the suitcases on the floor, still unpacked. The thought of being here forever was scary, but a reality. One they’d each have to deal with.

“Well, I’m going,” Regina said, her voice growing strong. “You can stay here and pout.”

She turned on her heel and headed back to the kitchen where Mary Margaret and Robin waited for her. Mary Margaret tilted her head.

“Is she coming?”  
Regina shook her head. “She has a headache.”  
“Sad.”  
“It’ll be okay. Let’s get going.”

The three headed out of the house and across the road where Robin had parked his white pick up truck. As the smallest, Regina sat in the middle of the bench seat, sandwiched between these two strangers. She could feel Robin’s arms as he went to start the ignition and smell his breath (he had just stuck in a stick of gum and offered her a piece).

The ride to the school was filled with rock songs, all of them singing along. Regina gave Robin a sly smile when he seemed impressed that she knew all the words. She was more surprised at how easy it felt. She had just met the two of them under an hour ago and was ready to go on an adventure.

The back of the school held the baseball field. Robin ran past them to high five a group of guys, but then immediately lead them back to introduce them to her.

“Guys, you know Mary Margaret of course, but this her cousin, Regina Mills. Regina, this is John, Will, David, August…”

He trailed off with the names and Regina did her best to remember them all. The group seemed like a friendly bunch, they all said hello and waved to her. 

“It’s nice to meet you all.”  
“Oh, you’re from New York,” one of them, Will if she remembered correctly, piped up.  
Regina raised an eyebrow. “How can you tell?”  
“You’ve got the accent,” Will clearly did his best to mock it. “Like hey, I’m walking here!”  
“Will, don’t be an ass,” Robin told him.  
“Will, not be an ass?” David asked. “That’ll be the day.”  
“Today is not pick on Will Day,” Will cut in. “We’re here to play baseball.”  
“The idiot’s right,” John said. “Let’s do it.”

The nine guys headed out onto the field and the girls went into the stand. There were a couple of other girls there that Mary Margaret said hi to, but the girls didn’t really respond. Mary Margaret sighed but focused on the game. Regina frowned, following suit. She tried to figure out who Mary Margaret’s point of interest was and it didn’t take long when she began fiddling with her hair once David took first base. She couldn’t say she blamed her, he was handsome. Blonde hair, blue eyes. He looked like a bit of a prince. Not exactly Regina’s type but she could see how he would be Mary Margaret’s.

Robin clearly was the star of the team. He missed a few balls, but knew how to grip the bat. Once he got a home run, he flew around the bases. Regina was on the edge of her seat watching him run. She hadn’t been this captivated watching a game in a really long time. He helped the other players when they needed it, joked with John, David and Will.

God damn those butterflies.

After the game, everyone started splitting up. Will began flirting with one of the uppity girls from the stand. David and Mary Margaret started talking about the student council which both of them were on (that didn’t surprise Mary Margaret in the slightest). John and August headed back onto the field to get some more practice. Regina found her way to an old oak closer to the school and leaned against it.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Regina shades her eyes with her hand and saw Robin standing there. He was extra drenched with sweat now, so much so that his shirt had become see through. His face glistened in the late summer sun and he was smiling at her, though his eyes were clearly a little concerned.

Regina let out a deep breath. “They ain’t worth a penny,” she mused.  
“I hear that.” He leaned against the tree next to her. “Something tells me you’ve had a long day.”

Long day, long life. 

“You could say that.”  
“I could take you home if you want. David’s got a truck too, he could drive Mary Margaret when they’re done flirting.”  
Regina chuckled. “They are something.”  
“For awhile David was dating Abigail Midas. She’s homecoming Queen, popular, rich kid. Definitely the type you’d expect with him. And Mary Margaret pined for him.”  
“And what happened?”  
“They broke up before the summer started. No one knows why and ever since David has been flirting with Mary Margaret. Just hope he doesn’t hurt her.”  
Regina didn’t know either well enough to judge them. “You seem like a good friend to her,” she said instead.”  
“I’ve known Mary Margaret my whole life,” Robin shrugged.“Miss Eva started working for Granny when Mary Margaret and I were little, we became best friends. Closest thing I have to a sister to be honest.”  
“Sisters are…something.”  
“You and yours aren’t close?”  
Regina thought of the nights she used to sneak into Zelena’s bed, make paper dolls and walk to the park. “We used to be, but it all changed when our dad died.”  
Robin frowned and Regina braced herself for the words that everyone always said. “I’m so sad for you,” he said instead.  
Regina felt a bit taken aback. “Most say they’re sorry.”  
“That was the most annoying when my mom died.”  
“Your mom…that’s awful.” She placed a hand on his arm.  
He nodded. “My dad was never around, it was just me, my mom and Granny. So once Mom passed, Granny adopted me.”

Regina thought of the missing parent element. Her own mother. How connected they were there.

“My mom went to Connecticut to live with her boyfriend.”  
Robin looked confused. “Mary Margaret told me her aunt got a job, that was why her cousins were coming to stay with her.”  
“That was the cover.” Regina bit her lip. “She told everyone that, she doesn’t know that Zelena and I know the truth. She met a guy in Connecticut, a wealthy guy. But she didn’t tell him she has kids.”  
“Oh Regina.” Robin’s frown increased. “I’m…that’s…”  
“I found a fax he sent with information to get her to live with him. She says she’s coming back for us and I want to believe it. I do.” 

Regina blinked the tears out of her eyes. She felt her hand go down to her necklace.

“Can you take me somewhere? Not back to Eva’s but anywhere?”  
Robin nodded, immediately, his hand slipping through hers. “Of course.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Lariska_Prgitaynfor helping me come up with a mascot and QueenofTheMerryMen for helping me come up with Cora & Eva’s backstory.

Robin took Regina to the diner, where he treated her to ice cream and soda. She offered to pay, but he insisted. As she picked at her own strawberry and Robin inhaled the chocolate, they talked about school and baseball. Robin was also a Yankees fan, which made Regina smile. According to Robin, his mom had taught him everything he knew about the sport. That was new to her. Cora could care less about baseball. 

Henry had taken the girls to Yankee Stadium every opening day. At first, Regina loved it just because she got to spend time with him. Henry worked 6 days a week and by the time he came home, he was exhausted. He tried to stay awake long enough to help the girls with homework and play, but he normally fell asleep three pages into Treasure Island. Those days at Yankee Stadium were the time she got to see him awake, happy and cheering. Regina soon learned the game, while Zelena wasn’t really interested. Even so, she went every year as well, probably for the same reason that Regina did. Cora stayed at home, saying it was a daddy/daughter day.

After Henry died, Regina had asked her mom if they could go to opening day and her mom acted as if it was selfish. Instead, Regina watched it from home. Zelena went out with friends, Cora got a mani/pedi. Regina just felt alone as she watched the men run the bases, no cheering, no smell of her dad’s smoky aftershave or the popcorn or boiled hotdogs. None of Zelena’s laughing at their dad’s corny jokes.

Nothing was ever the same after that.

“Your mom really likes baseball?” Regina asked Robin, to pull herself out of it.  
Robin nodded. “She taught me how to play, Granny taught her.”  
“Wow, I’m the only girl in my family that likes it.”  
“In this town, everyone seems to love it.”  
“I thought football was big in small towns.”  
“We have a team, but it’s not as popular as the baseball team. David does both.”  
“He seems like the type.”  
“He needs the scholarships, that’s for sure.”  
Regina nodded, she understood that. “Do you have plans for college?”  
“I don’t know if it’s really for me. I’m not big on school.” He must have seen Regina’s slight judgement, because he chuckled. “I get decent grades, not gonna flunk out anything but I’m also not going to make valedictorian anytime soon. I don’t really know what I want to do with my life yet.”  
“I don’t think you need to,” Regina pointed out. “We are only 17.”  
Robin dipped his finger into the whipped cream and licked it. “Something tells me you do, though.”  
Slight blush peaked on her cheeks. “Marketing.”  
“What makes you want to do that?”  
“I always knew I wanted to do something business related and the more research I did, the more appealing it seemed.” She shrugged. “I want to go to Bentley University.”  
“You have it all mapped out.”  
“Gotta have something in my life to look forward to.”  
Robin smiled from behind his straw. “I get that.”  
“I just hope that I can still do it if I’m stuck here.” She swirled her melting ice cream in the dish. “I know Eva is barely scraping by to support Mary Margaret.”  
“There’s scholarships and loans, you’ll find a way. I haven’t known you very long, Regina, but you’re resourceful. I can tell.”  
  
Regina smiled and played with the gem around her neck. Robin nodded at it.

“I like that.”  
“It’s garnet. My dad gave it to me.”  
“That’s a precious stone, isn’t it?”  
“Actually, garnets are semiprecious,” Regina corrected.  
“Doesn’t make it any less beautiful.”

She wasn’t sure what they were talking about anymore. 

* * *

  
Cora sent a package to the girls 3 weeks in. School was due to the start the following day and Eva had taken all three shopping for school supplies. Zelena dragged her feet the entire time, not wanting to admit they were starting. Mary Margaret cheerily dragged them around the store, helping them find all of what they needed. Regina had to admit that she liked her. She was upbeat and sometimes didn’t read the room, but she was trying to help. Eva did too. Zelena didn’t want to leave the house, but Regina and Mary Margaret spent time with Robin and their friends. Robin somehow always knew how to make Regina smile while they talked about baseball, school or New York.

Eva walked into the living room where the girls were watching a movie, dropping a box onto the table. “Fresh from Greenwich, Connecticut,” she said. 

Regina saw her mother’s tell tale script all over the box and accepted the scissors. She opened the box and pulled back the tissue paper. A letter was on top of two packages, one addressed to each daughter.

My beautiful girls,  
I hope you are doing well. I know you will start school soon. I’m not ready to come get you yet, but I figured I’d send some gifts for you in the meantime. Be good for your aunt.  
-Mother

Zelena unwrapped her package to reveal a yellow and white polka dot bikini. She snorted and rolled her eyes. “It’s nearly fall.”  
“And heaven knows you need a jacket,” Eva added.

Regina opened her own and found a purple peasant blouse, not at all her style outside her color. It looked handmade and was the color of grape soda. Beads and glitter were embroidered on the front. 

“At least that’s practical,” Eva said.  
“I think it’s pretty,” Mary Margaret added.  
Zelena rolled her eyes. “I’ll stick with the bikini.”

The next morning, Regina pulled the grape soda peasant top over her body along with a pair of jeans. She thought it’d make her feel closer to her mom, but she felt further away.

The four of them piled into Eva’s beat up blue Sedan, heading down to the school. Zelena sat up front, fiddling with the stereo while Mary Margaret prattled on facts about the school. Regina played with her necklace and tried to listen about how they had great test scores, wondering how a 16 year old knew anything about that. 

Soon, the car pulled past the sign that showcased the lion dressed as a knight. Regina wondered if a lion wasn’t fierce enough, they had to add gear.

Storybrooke High was a big brick building, much different than the schools in the city. There was a parking lot out front and a separate place for the busses to line up. A field for soccer sat in front, Regina knew the baseball and football ones were out back.

Once inside, Mary Margaret walked to her home room. She had gotten her schedule ahead of time, since she was registered but Eva lead her nieces down the brightly decorated hallway to the office. Along the walls were bulletin boards with pictures of students, including Mary Margaret and David, even a couple of Robin playing baseball. 

A stout woman with an upturned nose sat behind desk, typing something into a white Dell computer. She looked up upon Eva coughing.

“Mrs. Blanchard, hello.” She looked at the two girls. “These must be Cora’s girls.”  
“Yes, Belinda, this is Regina and Zelena. I’m here to register them for the year.”  
“I’m going to need prior school records, immunizations, the like.”  
“We don’t have that stuff,” Regina said.

But Eva simply pulled a manilla envelope and dumped it onto the counter. Regina watched as past report cards, letters and faxes from her doctor’s office in New York fell onto Belinda’s desk.

Eva had always known they were staying.

Regina couldn’t meet her aunt’s eye.

Belinda printed out schedules for them and the girls were sent on their way. Regina read the signs, trying to find her way to her homeroom.

“Lost?”  
She looked up and found Robin standing there. He was in a flannel shirt and jeans. “Just a little,” she passed over her schedule. “Help?”  
Robin scanned the piece of paper. “Oh yeah, you have Mrs. Pope, so do I. Come with me.”

The two headed silently down the hall, until he broke the silence.

“So that shirt…”  
“Hideous, I know. My mom sent it.”  
“So you finally heard from her?”  
“Just to send this.” Regina swayed her arms back and forth. “Eva knew we were staying here for good. She had our records.”  
“Oh?”  
“Why wouldn’t she tell us?”  
“Maybe she didn’t want you to be upset.”  
“Maybe.”

Robin stopped by a row of lockers.

“When my dad took off, my mom first told me that he was working, it took her time to be honest.” Robin shrugged. “She was adjusting to it as much as I was. Maybe your aunt was too.”  
Regina gnawed on her lip. “Maybe.”  
“Eva’s a good person, she wouldn’t do it for a bad reason.”  
“I guess.” Regina sighed. “I’m just tired of lies.”  
“Well, I can promise you honesty.”  
Regina partially smiled. “I’m grateful for that.”

* * *

  
Regina couldn’t sleep that night. She wasn’t sure if it was Zelena’s snoring or Mary Margaret whispering through the paper thin wall on her corded phone with David. Perhaps it was all the work she already had on the first day of school or the plans she had made with Robin and his friends.

Either way, there was no possible way she was sleeping tonight.

She pushed back the covers and headed into the kitchen. Mulling around, she put the kettle on the stove and found some packets for tea. There was sugar in the cabinet and milk in the fridge, this would hopefully help her sleep.

“You’re up late.”

Regina jumped, turning to face Eva. Her face shined in the moonlight that streamed through the window. She wore a red nylon robe, her hair clipped back in a bun.

“It’s nearly midnight,” Eva continued.  
“Couldn’t sleep,” Regina mumbled.  
Eva nodded. “A bit different than New York?”  
“Maybe it’s all the quiet. There I’d fall asleep to police sirens and people walking by on the streets. Here, it’s just Zelena snoring and crickets.”

Eva smiled. The kettle squeaked to indicate it was done and Eva crossed the room, pouring out two cups. The two sat at the circle table, putting in their desired toppings.

“You didn’t tell me that Mom gave you our stuff,” Regina said, softly. Subtly had never been her strong suit.  
Eva paused mid-stir. “I…was hoping she’d change her mind.”  
“Is that really why?”  
“Yes.” Eva met Regina’s eyes. “I wanted to think that she’d come back and take you before the school year started. But it didn’t happen and I didn’t know how to tell you girls.”  
Regina nodded. “Did she tell you that we were coming?”  
“Called the morning of.”  
Regina laughed bitterly. “Sounds like Mom.”  
“She wasn’t always like this, you know. She used to be…I don’t know. She used to be a different person. Better. How much did she tell you about our parents?”  
“Just that your dad was a drunk.”  
“That was true. He drank away a lot of the profits that the farm made and our mom excused it. Cora and I had to grow up quickly to try to save it. We always said one day we’d meet men, get off this farm and be happy. Raise our kids together.”

But that didn’t happen. Regina didn’t say that out loud.

“Leopold Blanchard came from a very affluent family,” Eva continued. “They own a lot of the businesses in town. Leo was a lot older than both of us. Cora didn’t love him, but saw him as an escape. I didn’t judge her. I got it.”  
“And then you stole him.”  
“That’s not how it happened,” Eva shut her eyes and sighed, before opening them again. “Leo’s Family was Catholic, very strict in fact. He didn’t want to have sex until marriage. Cora agreed, she’d do anything to marry him. Then during this time, she met Jonathan. He was helping our parents out for room and board. They fell in love, but Cora made it clear she was still marrying Leo. They had sex a few times and she got pregnant.”  
“This part I know.”  
“Well, Cora told me she planned on tricking Leo into thinking the baby was his. She’d fudge the math. I didn’t think that was fair to anyone. Jonathan didn’t want the baby, but Leo deserved to know the truth. So, I told him. And he confronted Cora who finally admitted it. He dumped her and she left town, going to New York where she met your dad nearly right away.”  
“And you and Leopold…”  
“I didn’t plan it. He was a charmer, he kept saying all the right things. Before I knew it, we were eloping and I was pregnant. I never expected Cora to be okay with it. But I didn’t do any of it so he’d end up with me.”

Regina nodded. She believed it. She wasn’t sure if she could ever be with someone her sister was, but she heard the desperation in Eva’s voice. She had tried to do the right thing and it ruined her relationship with her sister.

“So….what happened to Leo? Where is he?”  
“He wasn’t the man either of us thought he was. He became controlling and abusive. A little after we got married, he moved us to Boston and tried to make me stay home with Mary Margaret all day.” Eva shook her head. “The first time he hit her, I was gone. My father had died, my mom was sick, she needed me anyway. Mary Margaret and I moved back into the house. Leo visited for awhile until he died in a car accident a few years later.”  
“Does Mary Margaret know?”  
“She knows he died, she knows we were divorced….I don’t think she needs to know the bad things.” Eva sipped her tea. “You see her. She’s so happy and innocent. I don’t want to lose that.”

Regina wasn’t sure if she agreed with that, but she nodded anyway. Eva made a lot more sense to her now.

* * *

  
Fall turned to winter and Maine got cold. Snow covered the ground, making it hard for those without ice tires to get around. Regina got a job at Granny’s to help buy her own stuff, she didn’t want to worry Eva’s. Mary Margaret got one too and the girls worked alongside Robin. Zelena refused to work. She had made a couple of friends and spent most of her time with them, staying out late at night. Regina now slept well at night until she came home smelling of alcohol. Eva often said she had no clue what to do with her. Zelena kept proclaiming that she was 18 and no one could tell her what to do.

“As soon as I graduate, I’m out of here.”

And that threat made Regina sad.

Regina sat on the freezing cold bed of Robin’s truck. He was beside her, a woolen beanie on his head. Robin passed a hot chocolate to her, sipping his own.

“So, the winter dance is coming up,” Robin said.  
Regina titled her head. “Really, Mary Margaret only brings it up a million times a day.”  
Robin laughed. “To be fair, she’s chairing it.”  
“Right, but if she asks me to choose between two of the same shades of blue, I’m going to explode.”  
“So safe to say you’re going.”  
“I am. Aunt Eva’s making our dresses.”  
“Well…would you like to go with someone?”

Regina’s hand gripped the styrofoam cup, her cheeks growing pink from something else besides the cold.

“Are you asking me?”  
“I kind of just did.”  
“Not directly.”

Robin rolled his eyes, putting his cup onto the bed of the truck. He got up and swept his jacket backwards. He grabbed hold of her hand and put on a fake, pretentious accent.

“Madam, Regina Mills,” he said. She started giggling. “Will you go to the winter ball with me?”  
“Sir Robin Locksley,” she replied. “Of course I will.”

He smiled that lovely smile, showing off those dimples. She looked her fingers with his own and stared into his blue eyes. Their faces got closer, then a little closer. Soon, their lips brushed against each other. Regina let her mitten clad hands wrap around his neck and he did the same around her waist.

A haven of warmth in a winter wonderland, Regina felt safe. Secure.

When they pulled apart, their foreheads touched and his eyes remained shut.

“Come with me,” she whispered.  
“Where?”  
“Connecticut. I’m taking the train there this weekend to confront my mother.”


End file.
